Oil Well Blowouts
San Antonio Oil Well Blowout Lawyers – (210) 298-6666 - (800) 519-2800
Oil well blowouts can be especially deadly due to their unpredictable nature. A blowout occurs when oil rig systems fail, and preventative measures are not enough to safeguard against the ensuing blowout. Blowouts typically occur above ground, but can also occur below ground, causing a host of additional problems that can affect the structural stability of an oil rig and potentially harm oil rig personnel. In any event, oil well blowouts can cause not only structural damage to oil rigs, but can also result in catastrophic injuries to oil well employees.
The process through which an oil well blowout occurs involves a few different acts which, if not taken care of in a very timely manner, will result in a blowout. First, formation pore pressure becomes greater than the wellbore pressure at depth, causing formation fluids to flow into the wellbore and inside the drill pipe. This process, known as a kick, needs to be stopped via shutting in the well through use of a blow-out preventer, which is essentially a large valve that prevents explosive pressure from being released. However, if the pressure is not stopped in time, a blowout will occur once the pressure reaches the surface of the oil well.
Though the blow-out preventer is utilized once the pressure is discovered, the pressure can actually be prevented via use of drilling mud hydrostatics, which uses hydrostatic pressure to counteract the buildup of the formation fluids that can potentially lead to blowouts. Therefore, while oil well blowouts are unpredictable, there are safety measures that are set in place to prevent them from occurring. However, when these measures fail, or if personnel is unable to act quickly enough to combat the approaching pressure, oil well blowouts can take place, putting the safety of all surrounding people in grave danger.
With such a tremendous amount of released pressure, an oil rig can easily be damaged during a blowout. Structures can collapse, piping and other materials used can be haphazardly hurled in the direction of rig personnel, and serious personal injury up-to and often including death can occur. In all instances where an oil well blowout occurs, it needs to be determined after the fact what exactly went wrong in causing the accident. Some accidents occur out of rig personnel negligence. On the other hand, some incidents occur because equipment has not been properly maintained and may develop a propensity to fail. And still, other accidents come to pass simply because all necessary safety precautions taken are not enough to curb the blowout from ultimately occurring. In any event, it is important that matters surrounding oil well blowouts be investigated, and that a skilled oil well blowout attorney is consulted to ensure that your rights as an employee are not trampled upon.
If you have been injured in an oil well blowout accident, you’ll need the legal counsel of a qualified attorney on your side who is experienced in dealing with such cases. At Cichowski & Gonzalez, our skilled personal injury attorneys will examine the circumstances surrounding your accident, and will hold negligent parties responsible for the actions that led to your accident in the first place. If you have been injured, or have lost a family member to an oil well blowout, please don’t hesitate to contact us today for a free consultation.